Hands On: Norco RPC-230 Rackmount Chassis

Rackmount Chassis/server cases are becoming the preferred case of choice for a growing number of WHS enthusiasts.  A very small number perhaps, but growing.  Depending upon the style and overall case size, they are quite easy to stick on a shelf, install it in a rackmount enclosure (Doh!), or even use it for a media center computer and place along side the rest of your AV components.

Special note to readers of this review: this review is strikingly similar to my recent RPC-430 review.  Since these are sister products, and intended for the same target use, that is to be expected.

I would like to thank Norco for making the RPC-230 Rackmount Chassis available for review.  This is a low profile 2U case with a depth of only 15-1/4”.   As such, it is designed to accept only Micro-ATX style motherboards, which is quite often the MB of choice for WHS and MC computers.  A case born in the server world, but designed for the consumer world.

What is the anticipated usage for this type of rackmount case?  From Norco:

The RPC-230, and RPC-430 (the 4U version of the RPC-230) are perfect for home theatre, mobile DJ station, even individuals like musical professionals, and of course, rackmount that require compact space in small business or home office use.  They are both Super Short Depth 15.25″. These give the customer a good option of choosing 2U or 4U depending on the situation of space and flexibility. You can easily put either one in you home theatre and record or download you favorite movies, music and play directly from it, without the hassle of burning them in to DVD or CD. With these extra hard drives, you store more than enough to play with. You big screen TV can easily be turned into a cool computer-controlled home theatre system. This is also super for the Mobile DJ station, compact enough for you put them in a mobile rack cabinet.

Specifications:

• Drive Bay: Supports four 3.5″ drives and one 5.25″drive
• Cooling Fan: 2 x 80mm ball bearing fans
• Switch: Power ON/OFF x 1, System reset x 1
• Indicator: Power ON/OFF x 1, HDD x 1, NETWORK X 2
• Connector: One front accessible USB port
• Motherboard Compatibility: Support Micro-ATX (9.6″x9.6″)
• Power Supply Options: Standard ATX power supply
• Dimensions ( W x D x H ): 16.9″ x 15.25″ x 3.5″ (430mm x 387.3mm x 88mm)
• Packing: Double boxes, 22.5″ x 23″ x 8″
• Weight: 6.4 kg/14 lb (NET) 9.1 kg/20 lb (GROSS)
• Environment Temperature: 0/55 °C, 32/131 °F (Operating) -20/60 °C, -4/140 °F (Non-Operating)
• Relative Humidity: 5% to 95%,non-condensing
• Vibration ( 5-500 Hz ): 1 Grms (Operating), 2 G (Non-Operating)
• Shock : 10 G(with 11ms duration, half sine wave) (Operating), 30 G (Non-Operating)

Features:

• 2U rackmount design,meets EIARS-310C standard.
• 1 x 5.25″ drive bay, 4 x 3.5 ” drive bays (maximum 5)
• Support Micro-ATX (9.6″x9.6″) motherboard
• 2x80mm ball bearing fans for better ventilation
• Front accessible USB port
• Smooth border prevent lacerating your skin

Before I give you a hands-on look at this chassis, it is appropriate to provide some background information about Norco.  From their website:

NORCO, formed in 1991 through the merger of leading industry innovators, is the leading worldwide supplier of server rackmount, storage systems, network appliances, industrial PC parts and solutions distributed by 100 companies around the world.

Introduction

We are a leading manufacturer of server rackmount, storage systems, network appliances, industrial PC parts and solutions. The company also manufactures enclosures, primarily for industrial computers. Since its listing in 1990, the company has grown significantly in terms of revenues and profit. We now have a market capitalization of over $1 billion USD.

Strategy

NORCO’s objective is to maintain our position as one of the leading manufacturers of server rackmount, storage systems and other industrial computer accessory. We also aim to successfully develop products and market for use in network communication and embedded system products. A number of strategies have been developed to attain this objective:

Develop strategic relationship with industry leaders – By working closely with top-tier chipset and bois companies, NORCO is able to predict market trends accurately and introduce new products ahead of our competitors.

Achieve further vertical integration – Further integration of the production process allows NORCO to exercise better control over the quality of our products.

Maintain technologically advanced and flexible production capabilities – This increases NORCO’s competitiveness relative to our peers and allows us to stay one step ahead of the opposition.

New products – NORCO leverages from our manufacturing expertise, and continues to move tirelessly into new areas of related business.

Research & Development

Research and development (R&D) are the lifeblood of any high-tech company. In a market as competitive as that of the PC industry, NORCO depends on our R&D efforts to bring products to the market before our competitors. Approximately 5% of NORCO’s revenues are committed to R&D expenditure.

NORCO works closely with our clients to implement the latest technologies. Research is a two way process – not only does NORCO provide what the client wants, but through extensive dialogue and consultation, we exceed their requirements.

Quality & Speed

At NORCO, quality is more an action than a slogan. Quality control is implemented in all aspects of operations to meet the high standards of top tier customers. This philosophy permeates all levels of the production process. NORCO conforms to the most rigorous standards of quality and safety.

Global Network

NORCO’s ability to quickly deliver “Built-to-Order” products, as well as our superb time-to-market and global inventory control abilities are NORCO’s other significant competitive advantages.

NORCO’s principal manufacturing operations are based in China. NORCO has production facilities located in two areas – Shenzhen, in the Guangdong Province and Shanghai

In North America, NORCO has branches located in Los Angeles and Toronto. NORCO will continue to build its global distribution and production operations.

Future Growth Potential

• RAID storage systems
• POS boards
• DVR cards and system
• Compact PCI enclosures and boards
• Low power embedded system application

What’s In The Box?

Getting back to the item being discussed today, the first thing one must do is remove the item from the shipping box.  Double boxed and each box is double corrugated!  You *might* be able to drive a tank over them without damaging the contents.

Digging a little deeper reveals the case.  What can I say?  With packaging like that, it would be difficult to receive a damaged piece of merchandize.

I removed the case from the package and proceeded to take various pictures.  Initial examination of the external case revealed very quality construction.  The fit was flawless.  The finish was good but not perfect.

A close-up of the left side.  Here you can see the controls, function LED’s, and USB port.  I would have preferred 2 ports, but for the intended use of this case, one port is probably sufficient.  It is here that you can also see the only opening (5-1/4”) that can be accessed from the front.

A closer look at the controls and LED array.  From left to right are:

• On/Off button
• Reset button
• USB port
• Power-on LED
• Disk-access LED
• NIC 1 LED
• NIC 2 LED

The On/Off and reset buttons are actually membrane switches, a very nice touch in my opinion.  The LED’s are quite small and should be very unobtrusive when lit (see my RPC-430 review).  You should not find yourself blinded by an LED if you were to use such a case for an HTPC computer and have it placed with the remainder of your AV components.

Just a shot from of the right side.  This unit has two 80mm fans located in the front, which if you look real close can be seen through the mesh openings.

A side shot.  Yes, you can remove the rack handles, if so desired.  If you were to use this case for a media center computer and placed it with your AV components, it might be desirable to remove the rack handles.

A rear shot.  As can be seen, this case is designed for micro-ATX motherboards.  No ATX board is going to go inside this beauty.

Removing four side screws allows one to remove the top cover, as seen below.  Running my fingers along the inside edges indicated edges that “felt” sharp, but had been broke just enough so that you would really have to try to cut yourself.  Of course, since these are quite close quarters to work in, don’t be surprised if you scrap a knuckle or so.

Inside, you will find the lead terminations for the front LED array.  All the leads have the appropriate markings on them to designate function.  You will notice that the fan leads are standard Molex plugs.  I really prefer the 3-wire fan plugs, but that is just me.

Inside the box are the screws for the motherboard and hard drives.  The wrench allows you to remove the motherboard standoffs, which just so happen to come installed on the case floor.

Moving to the front, you will find 4 hard drive trays.  Simply remove two screws, slide the tray back and out it comes.

A closer shot of the fans in front.  I did not try to get to where I could actually remove the fans, as it appears that one must remove a significant portion of the front framework to get to them.  As I usually am quite particular to the case fans I use, this could proof a little frustrating if one desired to change them out.

This may be a moot point, as it would appear that one may have to remove the front face and housing to install a motherboard.  The standoffs at the front of the case are just slightly under the housing that the hard drive trays mount to.  I have no micro-ATX motherboard, so this is something I cannot absolutely confirm.

Just a closer look at the right side, which is where you will find the mounting rack for a 5-1/4” device, such as a DVD drive.  You will also notice that you could install another hard drive in lieu of a DVD drive, if so desired, here.

How do get to this tray?  Turn the case over (bottom side), remove 4 screws and out will pop the tray.

In my conglomeration of components that I have sitting around, one item that do not possess is a micro-ATX motherboard, so I was unable to put together a system in this case.  I did download the following picture from Norco’s website, which happens to show a finished installation.  Very tight quarters, indeed!  As I would not anticipate having to change out motherboards often, this would hopefully be a one-time experience.

Costs and Conclusion

Pros:

• Compact size (15-1/4” deep).
• Quality construction
• At $59.99, this is a bargain.  This is particularly true if you compare this to the cost of HTPC cases.
• 4 hard drives (or 5) in a 2U case configuration

Cons:

• No manual.
• Fans require standard Molex power connections.
• Changing out fans appears to be difficult. This may be a moot point, if one has to remove the front face and housing to install the motherboard.
• May require a significant amount of case disassembly to install the motherboard
• The finish needs improvement.
• It’s not light.
• Fans are in front, which may generate more noise than rear mounted fans

Would I recommend this rackmount case?  That is a tough question to answer for the simple fact that I was not able to install a computer inside this case.  I would say that the 2U RPC-230 is probably a better fit than the RPC-430 if one were looking for this type of case for use as a HTPC.  It is at the right height to fit in well with other AV components.

Based upon my experiences with the RPC-430, you might want to plan for a change in fans to quiet down this case.

Norco is pricing their products a price point that is hard to beat.  The construction is very solid and piece fit is quite nice.  And those handles add a bit of cool factor that wants to say: “I’m built like a tank.”  Most of the cons are relatively minor, but I would really like to see an improvement in the case finish.

WHS users may find internal mount drives (no hot-swap drive option) a disadvantage, but you would be hard pressed to find a 2U case with this kind of capability.  As I indicated above, however, this may be perfect for a HTPC next to your AV components.  Whether this is the case for you simply depends on the whether you find the features right for your application.  If a rackmount case is in your future, cost would be a major consideration in your decision making process.

How does the RPC-230 compare looks-wise to the RPC-430?  For my parting photograph, here is the answer.  If I had a micro-ATX motherboard, I know what my WHS would be housed in.

Company: Norco Technology Inc.

Model Reviewed: RPC-230 2U Rackmount Chassis

RPC-230 Cost: Newegg price: $59.99

Final note: I must apologize on the pricing detail, as I am in the U.S.  If a reader elsewhere spots one at their favorite etailer, I (and others) would appreciate it you could note source and cost as a comment.